SUPERHOME DESIGN GUIDE
GLOSSARY

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A
AIRTIGHTNESS
Airtight construction uses building materials to minimise heat loss and eliminate moisture and mould in the wall and roof assemblies. Airtight construction goes a long way towards creating a low energy, high performing healthy home. It is best practice to have the air control layer on the interior side of the ‘thermal envelope’ with the exterior layer being the weathertightness / windtightness layer (building wrap etc). In some types of construction for example SIPs, the air control layer may be part of the wall system, providing appropriate attention is given to all joints and junctions.

ASV
(Above Sheathing Ventilation) Not even sure if this is worth including, just an example for now?

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B
BIOPHYLIC DESIGN
A concept used to increase connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions. Biophylic designed buildings incorporate things like natural lighting and ventilation, natural landscape features and other elements for creating a more productive and healthy built environment for people.



BLOWER DOOR TESTING
A diagnostic tool that measures and helps locate air leakage within the building envelope. It uses a calibrated fan to generate pressure. Generally, we divide the following blower test scores by their ACH number to determine how leaky a home is: 2 - 4 ACH: a tightly sealed home that would pass an inspection in all 50 states. 5 ACH: A moderately sealed home, but still an ideal target for older homes that are harder to insulate.



BRANZ
A multi-faceted, science-led organisation, BRANZ uses independent research, systems knowledge and its broad networks to identify practical solutions that improve New Zealand’s building system performance. The BRANZ vision is to challenge Aotearoa New Zealand to create a building system that delivers better outcomes for all.

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C
CLT
Cross Laminated Timber. CLT is made from several layers of solid wood panels bonded with a structural adhesive at alternation right angles. It's ideal for large floor, roof, and wall elements, where mass timber can significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared to concrete and steel.

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D
DWANGS
A horizontal bracing piece used between wall studs to give rigidity to the wall frames of a building. Dwangs / Noggings may be made of timber, steel or aluminium. Their use has lessened over the years. Dwangs should be narrower than the studs. Stopping the default practice of using framing-sized dwangs and minimising their use to only where necessary could benefit our environment and the standard of light timber-frame buildings.

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E
EDA
Eco Design Advisors. Help improve the comfort and health by providing independent advice on home performance. Working with clients to identify and maximise opportunities to do good (for people and planet) while performing well (for profit). Supporting sustainability disclosure, biodiversity and carbon offset strategies; corporate sustainability policies; land, water and GHG management; and philanthropic programs.

E GLASS
Low E stars for ‘low emissivity’ – emissivity refers to the thermal energy that naturally emits from the glass. Glass with low E properties is going to release less heat energy. The primary benefit of low E glass is to improve the insulating performance of your windows. Another benefit is that it helps block some of the sun's harmful UV rays.

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F
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G
GLULAM
Glulam Laminated Timber is an engineered structural material consisting of a number of graded, kiln dried and selected full length laminations. As one of the oldest and widely used mass timber products, glulam's use is broad and includes virtually all building types.

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H
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I
(IEF) Indoor Environmental Quality
The conditions inside a building. It includes air quality, as well as access to daylight and views, pleasant acoustic conditions, and occupant control over lighting and thermal comfort.


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J
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K
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L
LVL
Laminated Veneer Lumber is a popular type of engineered wood product that uses multiple layers of thin wood assembled with adhesives. Typically used for headers, beams rim board, and edge-forming material. Made in a factor under controlled specifications, it's stronger, straighter and more uniform than typical milled lumber. It's less likely to warp, twist, bow or shrink. LVL beams, headers and columns are used in structural applications to carry heavy loads with minimum weight.


LEAKY HOMES
An ongoing construction and legal crisis in New Zealand concerning timber-framed homes built from 1988 to 2004 that were not fully weather-tight. The problems often include the decay of timber framing which, in extreme cases, have made buildings structurally unsound. Some buildings have become unhealthy to live in due to moulds and spores developing within the damp timber framing.

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M
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N
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O
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P
PARIS AGREEMENT
The Paris Agreement (also called the Paris Accords or Paris Climate Accords) is an international treaty on climate change that was signed in 2016. The treaty covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The Paris Agreement was negotiated by 196 parties at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference near Paris, France. As of February 2023, 195 members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are parties to the agreement.


PASSIVE HOUSE
Passive house is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, which reduces the building's carbon footprint. Conforming to these standards results in ultra-low energy buildings that require less energy for space heating or cooling.

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Q
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R
RISING DAMP
Rising damp is a relatively rare form of damp that affects the walls of buildings. It occurs when moisture from the ground travels up through the walls by capillary action. This means that ground water is effectively sucked up through tiny tubes in the bricks, like a series of straws. Rising damp is often confused with damp caused by condensation.

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S
SIPS
Structural Insulated Panel Systems. Each panel is a sandwich of a rigid panel glued to both sides of solid insulation. This replaces the whole timber frame and batts used in stick construction.

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T
THERMAL BRIDGING
A thermal bridge is an area or component of an object which has higher thermal conductivity than the surrounding materials, creating a path of least resistance for heat transfer. Thermal bridges result in an overall reduction in thermal resistance of the object. The term is frequently discussed in the context of a building’s thermal envelope where thermal bridges result in heat transfer into or out of conditioned space.

Thermal bridges in buildings may impact the amount of energy required to heat and cool a space, cause condensation (moisture) within the building envelope, and result in thermal discomfort.

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U
UNIVERSAL DESIGN
Universal design is design that is usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

Universal design is the design of buildings, products or environments to make them accessible to people, regardless of age, disability, or other factors. Evaluating material and structures that can be utilized by all. It addresses common barriers to participation by creating things that can be used by the maximum number of people possible. Universal Design involves dilemmas and often difficult priorities. An example is Curb cuts/sidewalk ramps, which are essential for people in wheelchairs but also used by all.

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V
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W
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X
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Y
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Z
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